Buffing-machine.



PATENTED'MAY 26. 1903 v A. BUTEAU.

no 110mm,

BUFP IN G MACHINE. ruck-non mum 00127, 1902.

a sums-sum 2.

- elevation of my improved machine.

UNITED ST TES ALPHONSE BUTEAU, OF AUBURN Patented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO PEERLESS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, NEW YORK, N. Y., AND BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

"BUFFlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,274, dated May 26, 1903. Application filed October 27, 1902. Serial No. 128,844. (No model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALPHONSE BUTEAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Auburn,in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented an Improvement in Buffing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. This invention relates to bufiing-machines, and the particular embodiment of my invention herein illustrated is a machine adapted to operate on soles of shoes, boots, &c.

In the manufacture of shoes it isfrequently desirable to roughen slightly the surface of a shoe-sole for the purpose of providinga suitable surface to which to apply adhesive for the purpose of cementing said sole to the innersole or filling in a shoe; and it is the objectof my present invention to provide a machine through which the soles of shoes may be passed for the purpose of thus resurfacing them.

The machine in which myinvention is embodied comprises, broadly, a rotating buffingcylinder having an abrading-surface and means to pass the'material to be bufied or operated upon over the cylinder and to hold the same in contact with the surface of the cylinder, the surface speed of the cylinder being very much faster than the speed of the material, whereby an abrading action takes place. Pivoted to the frame is a head, which supports a bed over which the material is'fed during the abrading process. The bed is illustrated as having an opening therein and when in its operative position is so situated that the bufling-cylinder is partially received in said opening, the surface of the bed over which the work moves being substantially tangent to the surface of the cylinder. The head also carries suitable feed-rolls, which positively feed the material across the bed, and an adjustable guide which holds the material in contact with the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side Fig. 2 is a section on the linezr 00, Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line y 1 Fig. 2.

The frame of the machine, which maybe of any suitable shape, is designated generally by 3, and it supports a main shaft 4, from which the operative parts of the machine are driven.

The bufling-cylinder is designated generally by 5, it being mounted upon a suitable shaft 6, supported in bearings 7, carried by .divided core 8, which is slipped upon the shaft and around which is a layer 9 of some yieldable material, such as felt, the whole being enveloped by a covering or envelop 10, which isin the form of sandpaper, emery-paper, or any other suitable similar abrading mate rial. The envelop 10 is held in place by having the edges thereof bent inwardly, as at 11, between the two parts of the divided core 8, the said edges being secured to the core in any suitable way, as by means of tacks or nails 12. The ends of the core are engaged by the locking-collars l3 and 14, which are mounted on the shaft and which serve to hold the two parts .of the divided cylinder in operative position. For this purpose each end of the core is shown as having projecting therefrom a conical rib 15, and the collars 13 and 14 are provided with annular recesses shaped to receive said ribs. The. collars are shown as being screw-threaded to the shaft, the collar 13 having a right-hand screw-threaded engagement with the shaft and the collar 14 having a left-hand engagement therewith. The'collars are also looked to the core, so as to have rotary movement therewith, but to permit the collars moving longitudinally on the shaft with reference to the core, this being accom- 9 plished by providing each collar with a pin 16, which engages a suitable recess in the end of the core. With this construction it will be seen that if the cylinder is held from rotary movement and the shaft is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the collars will be turned toward the ends of the shaft and separated from each other, thus permitting the cylinder 5 to be removed from the shaft. An opposite movement of the shaft with reference to the cylinder will throw the collars toward the ends of the cylinder, when by the engagement of the projections or ribs with the recesses in the collars the two parts of the divided cylinder are firmly held to the shaft.

The head of the machine (designated generally by H) carries the feeding mechanism, the bed-plate over which the work is fed, and the guide for holding the work in contact with the cylinder. As herein illustrated, the base of the head constitutes the bed of the machine, over which the work is fed and is pivoted upon the rod or shaft 21, which is supported in bearings 22 on the frame of the machine. The bed 20 is formed with the opening 23 therein, which opening when the head is in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 2, is adapted to partially receive the abrading or buffing cylinder 5, the top surface 24 of said bed being substantially tangentially arranged with reference to the surface of the cylinder. A suitable strut 25, which is secured to the front end of the bed 20 and which rests upon the frame, as at 26, serves to support the bed in its operative position. Iwill preferably screw-thread the strut to the bed, whereby by screwing up or unscrewing the former the front end of the bed may be raised or lowered as desired. A suitable check-nut 26 is preferably employed for locking the strut in adjusted position.

Rising from the bed 20 are the uprights 30, which are connected by the cross-piece 31, said uprights forming the guiding-support for the side pieces 32, which carry the feeding mechanism, hereinafter described, and by which the guide or presser-foot, also to be described, is supported. The side pieces are herein illustrated as being held in position by the lugs or ears 44, which project from the said side pieces and through which the uprights pass.

The feeding mechanism is illustrated as two feeding-rolls 33 and 34, which have serrated surfaces for the purpose of engaging the leather or other material to feed the same forward. These rolls are journaled in the side pieces 32, and the journals of said rolls at one end extend through the side pieces and have gears 35 and 36 attached to them, respectively. A driving-gear 37, mounted on a shaft 38, also carried by one of the side pieces 32, is constructed to engage both the gears 35 and 36 and drive them in the same direction, the said shaft having a driving-pulley 39 secured thereto, which is driven from a small pulley 40 on the main shaft by means of a belt 41 or any other suitable device.

The guide or presser-foot which engages the material operated upon and holds the same in contact with the cylinder is designated by 42 and is shown as extending the length of the cylinder and as secured atits ends to the ears 44, through which the uprights 30 pass. This guide or presser-foot is, it will be observed, situated over the opening in the bed 20 and directly over the abrading-cylinder, and itis herein illustrated as having the transverse ribs 46 on its under side,which are adapted to engage the material.

Suitablemeans are provided for vertically adjusting the guide or presser-foot 42 and also the feed-rolls 33 34 in order to accommodate different thicknesses of material and also to vary the pressure with which the material is forced against the abrading-cylinder. The adjusting means herein illustrated comprises an adjusting-screw 50, mounted for rotation in the bar 31 and having a screwthreaded engagement with a cross-piece 52, which extends across and connects the side pieces 32. A suitable spring 53. situated between the cross-pieces 31 and 32, serves to normally hold the guide and feed-rolls against the work. The adjusting-screw 50 is free to move upwardly in the cross-piece 31, but is held from downward movement by the collar 501. The said screw therefore allows the feed-rolls and the guide or presser-foot 42 to yield in a vertical direction, while regulating the normal distance between cylinder and guide or presser-foot.

58 designates a brush which is mounted upon the shaft 21 and which serves to clean the surface of the material which has been 0perated upon by the abrading-cylinder.

The end of the shaft 21 is shown as provided with a pulley 60, over which a drivingbelt 61 passes, said belt being driven by a similar pulley 62, carried on the end of the shaft of one of the feed-rolls.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, and it is as follows: Upon starting the driving-shaft in rotation the abrading-cylinder and the feed-rolls are given a rotation in the direction of the arrows, Figs. 1 and 2, the rotation of the feed-rolls being such as to feed the material from left to right across the surface of the bed and the rotation of the abrading-cylinder being such that the upper surface thereof is moved from left to right. It is necessary, of course, that the ahrading-snrface move very much faster than the material operated on, and therefore the driving connections between the main shaft and cylinder are such as to give the abrading-cylinder a greatly-increased speed of rotation, while the driving connections between the main shaft and feed-rolls are such as to give them a greatly-reduced speed of rotation. As the shoe-sole or other piece of work is fed forward on the bed, so as to be engaged by the feed-roll 34, the latter operates to feed it forward beneath the guide or presser-foot 42 and in contact with the upper portion of the abrading-cylinder 5, which latter by its rapid rotation abrades the surface of the sole, the

iof,

dustand particles of leather removed by the action of the cylinder being thrown away from the operator who is feeding the machine. As the material passes from beneath the feedroll 33 the abraded surface thereof will be thoroughly brushed and cleansed by the rotating brush 58. The spring 53 operates to yieldingly hold the presser-foot and feedrolls against the material and allows sufficient vertical movement of these parts to compensate for any variation in the thickness of the material.

Whenever it is desired to change the buding-cylinder or alter or repair the same, it is simply necessary to throw the head back, as illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, when the cylinder is exposed and can be removed or treated, as desired. The head is held in its dotted-line position by means of the stop-rod 69, which is engaged by the tail or projecting portion 68 of the bed.

For convenience I will preferably provide the shaft 6 with the hand-wheel 70, whereby it may be turned when it is desired to remove or replace the abrading-cylinder.

While I have herein illustrated my invention as being embodied in a machine for abrading and resurfacing the soles of shoes,

yet it will be obvious that the machine is not limited to this use and that the shape anddetailed construction of many of the parts may be "aried without departing from the invention. I therefore reserve to myself the right to make all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the class described, a buffing-cylinder, a head movable toward and from the bufling-cylinder, said head having a bed to support the material being buffed, and adjustable means to support the head with its bed in operative position.

2. In a machine of the class described, a buffing-cylinder, a pivotally-mounted head adapted to swing toward and away from said cylinder, said head having a bed to support the material while being buffed, and means to support the head with the bed in operative position.

3. In a machine of the class described, a buffing-cylinder, a head movable toward and from said cylinder, said head havinga bed to support the material being bufied, feedingrolls carried by said head and operating 'to feed the material across said bed, and means to support the head in operative position.

4. In a machine of the class described, a butting-cylinder, a pivotally-mounted head adapted toswing toward and from said cylinder, said head carrying a bed over which the material is passed asit is bufied, and feedrolls carried by said head.

5. In a machine of the class described, a

buffing-cylinder, a pivotally-mounted head adapted to swing toward and from said cylinder, said head carrying a bed over which the material is passed as it is buffed, feed-rolls carried by said head, and a presser-foot also carried by said head and located between the ;t

feed-rolls.

6. In a machine of the class described, a bufling-cylinder, a pivotally-mounted head adapted to be swung toward or away from the buffing-cylinder, said head having a bed to support the material while being bufied, feedrolls carried by said head and operating to feed the material across the bed, and means to adjust said feed-rolls relative to the bed.

7. In a machine of the class described, a buffing-cylinder, a head pivoted to swing toward or from the cylinder, said head carrying a bed across which the material-being bufied is fed, feed-rolls carried by said head, a presser-foot also carried by said head, and means to adjust the feed-rolls and presserfoot with relation to the bed.

8. In a machine of the class described, a buffing-cylinder, a head movable toward and from the butting-cylinder, said head having a bed to support the material being buffed,

adjust the presser-foot and feed-rolls relative to the ,bed.

10. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a buffing-cylinder supported therein, a pivoted bed above the cylinder and adapted to have the work passed thereover as it is buffed. 7

11. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a buffing-cylinder supported thereby, a bed pivoted to the frame and constructed to support the work asit is being bufied, and a pres'ser-foot to engage the work and hold the latter against the cylinder.

12. In a device of the class described, a frame, a buffing device supported thereon, a head pivoted to the frame and carrying a bed constructed to support the material as it is bufied, feed-rolls to feed the material over the buffing device, and means to rotate the rolls.

13. In a device of the class described, a frame, a butfing device supported thereon, a

head pivoted to the frame and carrying a bed constructed to support the material as it is buffed, feed-rolls to feed the material over the butting device, means to rotate the rolls, a presser-t'oot to hold the material against the buffing device, and means toadjust the feed rolls and presser-foot with reference to the bed to vary the pressure with which they hold the material against said bed.

14. In a machine of the class described, a

frame, a bufiing-eylinder journaled therein, In testimony whereof I have signed my a main shaft supported by the frame, means name to this specification in the presence of c to drive the buffing-eylinder from the main two subscribing witnesses.

shaft, a head pivoted to the frame, feed-rolls 1 carried by the head, means to operate said i ALPHONSB BUTEAU' feed-rolls from the main shaft, and a bed also i \Vitnesses: carried by the head and constructed to sup- MARY E. DIXON, port the material as it is bn (fed. R. J. CURRAN. 

